According to a May report by the
Brookings Institute, a Washington think tank, infrastructure
jobs help provide a path to long-term employment for workers who
lack a college degree.

“Only 12% of infrastructure workers have a bachelor’s
degree or higher,” the report reads. “Compared to 34%
nationally.”

According to Brookings, many infrastructure jobs are
long-term in nature, with on-the-job training and apprenticeships
that help to break the cycle of unemployment among unskilled
workers.

A college diploma remains the most important indicator of
employment and salary. But two-thirds of U.S. workers lack a
four-year college degree, according the the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.

Working on infrastructure is a
good option for these workers. And business is booming. While the
rest of America’s employment rose 4.3% from 2010 to 2013,
employment in the 95 infrastructure occupations studied by the
Brooking Institute rose 5%.

This rise in employment is due
to new construction, as well as retirements.

"Plant operators, subway
operators, and other related occupations in water utilities and
transit agencies are expected to see a growing number of
retirements, prompting the recruitment of a new generation of
workers," the report says.

The table below shows the
largest infrastructure occupations, and the percentage of workers
in those occupations with a four-year degree.